By 1954, Highland had developed a youth group of about 50 youth and that, together with the existing scout program, became a significant part of their journey of faith. In 1956 in connection with the General Assembly designation of a Youth Sunday in the church calendar, Highland approved the youth conducting a youth service which has continued for 50 years.
In 1959 when the youth group challenged the accepted segregation of the races in Winston-Salem by inviting the youth group from Dellabrook Presbterian Church, an African-American church, to come to Highland for supper, the Session was instructed by the youth and voted to support them in their efforts to live out their faith in the face of a segregated society.
In 1963 they shaped an early Sunday morning worship service to appeal to the families who had youth in the church. It was to be no longer than 35 minutes and they asked that the sermon be shaped with the junior high youth in mind.
In 1967, led by the minister of education, Malcom Anderton, and several adults such as Marianne Parham and Paul Ritchie who were their advocates, the youth gained the support of the church to do some renovation of the Activity Building and to open a Friday Night Coffee House which drew youth from all over the city.
In 1982 they recommended youth delegates be assigned to both the Session and the Deacons. Through sexuality seminars, drug awareness programs, work camps and intergenerational events, the church has tried to address the needs and learn from the experience of their youth.
The Body of Christ expressed at Highland has, like the disciples before them, sometimes been responsive and sometimes resistant to being nurtured by and being responsible for the youth and the children among them. Sometimes they have viewed the youth as a threat to their building as when in 1975 they resisted the efforts of the Deacons to hang basketball goals in the Activity Building. Sometimes they have been inspired by their enthusiasm as when the youth were involved in mission projects which have opened the eyes of adults to the needs around them.
